Bret "Hit Man" Hart: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be also known as The Bret Hart Story: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Be is a 2005 documentary film released as part of a three-DVD set on November 15, 2005, by World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE). The documentary chronicles the career of popular WWE wrestler Bret Hart. Hart collaborated with WWE to make the documentary, contributing hours of interview content to the film. This collaboration marked the first time Hart had worked in an on camera capacity with WWE since the Montreal Screwjob, which was Hart's last in-ring appearance with the company until his return on January 4, 2010. The documentary chronicles Bret Hart's wrestling career, from how he broke into the business as a member of the Hart family to his run in World Championship Wrestling (WCW).
This is the second documentary about Bret Hart, the first being Hitman Hart: Wrestling with Shadows (which was produced with cooperation by the WWF, but not released by WWF/E Home Video) which chronicles Hart's last days wrestling in the WWF and talks about his relationship with his brother Owen.
Contents
History
Hart has stated that the video was a project that he had wanted to do for a long time and that he originally pitched the idea of a compilation set to Vince McMahon before DVDs were commonplace.
Initial idea
Originally, the DVD was to be named Screwed: The Bret Hart Story, and would be a film focusing on the negative aspects of Hart's career, much like WWE's The Ultimate Warrior DVD, The Self-Destruction of the Ultimate Warrior. It originally featured derisive interview comments from former opponents like Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels and Jerry Lawler, with whom Hart had real-life personal issues (Hart has since made amends with Michaels and Lawler). Hart said of the project: "It was kind of a smear. It was basically a platform for guys to express their dislike for me and their jealousy." Hart was not slated to contribute to the documentary, but later agreed to participate, claiming that WWE essentially told him: "Get on board or we'll run you over."
Hart's involvement
Negative interviews were thereafter deleted when Hart got involved, and replaced with positive appraisals from alternate former opponents like Stone Cold Steve Austin, Roddy Piper and Chris Benoit, who held Hart in high regard. Hart has said that a major factor in his agreeing to participate in the project was an encounter with a small child in a dentist's office. The child had a Bret Hart action figure, but he had no knowledge of Hart's actual work and was only familiar with WWE video games in which Hart was featured as a "WWE Legend." Hart expressed that he wanted the DVD to be a way for younger people who had no experience watching him while he was estranged from WWE to see him in a more positive light, as opposed to the negative way he felt the company had portrayed him previously. After a promotional photo with WWE chairman Vince McMahon, Hart contributed over seven hours of new interview footage and was allowed full creative input in the project. McMahon noted Bret's participation with a message before the main program in which he thanked Bret for putting aside the various personal and professional differences the two men had in order to produce the DVD for the fans. It has been suggested that the Screwed DVD was conceived by McMahon as a ploy to persuade Hart to the project.
After the DVD's release, Hart was interviewed for WWE.com's show Byte This! and promoted the DVD with a series of appearances to meet, and greet fans. He also appeared at the next year's WWE Hall of Fame to be inducted by Steve Austin.
Overview
Disc 1
The first disc is separated into several smaller segments focusing on different parts of Hart's life.
Early Years - Hart's beginnings and discussing his father, Stu Hart.
Stampede Wrestling - Once he starts wrestling for his father, the DVD shows his progression as a technical wrestler in the early matches.
Coming To WWE - Overview of Hart's early days in the WWF, including a look at one of Hart's abandoned gimmicks, "Cowboy" Bret Hart.
Hart Foundation - Hart's tag team days with brother-in-law Jim Neidhart and manager "the Mouth Of the South" Jimmy Hart.
Intercontinental Champion - The beginning of Hart's singles career, starting with his defeat of Mr. Perfect and Roddy Piper to become the Intercontinental Champion.
WWE Champion - Hart defeated Ric Flair to become the WWF Champion, also includes talks of WrestleMania IX about Yokozuna and Hulk Hogan.
International Star - A segment discussing Hart's popularity overseas.
Hart Family Feud - Hart discusses his feud with his brother Owen.
Iron Man Match - Hart prefaces his comments about his Iron Man Match at WrestleMania XII.
U.S.A. vs. Canada - The Re-formation of the Hart Foundation and playing the villain in the US during an "anti-American" angle.
Survivor Series 1997 - The Montreal Screwjob.
Reception
The DVD has received positive reviews. It won the 2006 Wrestling Observer Newsletter award in the category "Best Pro Wrestling Documentary".
From Hart
Hart has said that he is very happy with how the DVD ended up. Hart has also said that he is very glad that the documentary did not end up like the "Screwed DVD" which it was originally intended. Despite this, Hart has stated that he feels that it is not comprehensive enough and says that he felt that the DVD could have been one or two discs longer and wishes that his match with "Macho Man" Randy Savage from Saturday Night's Main Event XIII could have been included. Said matches could not be included due to legal issues involving Jesse Ventura. Because of this Hart expressed that he wished to do another collection of matches at some time.
Match content
The Hart Foundation vs. The British Bulldogs (Madison Square Garden, July 13, 1985)
Hart tags with his brother-in-law Jim Neidhart against his other brothers-in-law Davey Boy Smith and frequent rival in Stampede Wrestling Dynamite Kid.
Hart Foundation vs. The Killer Bees (Madison Square Garden, February 17, 1986)
Another match from the Hart Foundation's heel run, this time against the tag team The Killer Bees.
Jimmy Hart briefly joined the commentary team at ringside.
Bret Hart vs. Ricky Steamboat (Boston Garden, March 8, 1986)
A rare match featuring Hart representing the Hart Foundation against Steamboat.
Bret Hart vs. Ted DiBiase (Odessa, TX, March 8, 1989)
The original commentary was edited out of the match.
Hart Foundation vs. The Rockers (Saturday Night's Main Event XXVI, April 28, 1990)
A tag team match in which Hart faces real-life rival Shawn Michaels, then a part of the tag team The Rockers.
This match is missing the original commentary by Jesse "The Body" Ventura, due to an early 1990s lawsuit involving videotape royalties filed by Ventura against the WWF.
WWF Tag Team Championship Match
Hart Foundation vs. The Nasty Boys (WrestleMania VII, March 24, 1991)